Al Mirabella

Chairman Alexander Mirabella brings experience in business and public service to the Union County Board of County Commissioners. First elected in 1997, he is serving his eighth three-year term. He has served as Vice Chairman five times. He was once again sworn in as Chairman for the sixth time for 2021, after serving in that capacity in 2020. As Chairman in 2020, Mirabella oversaw Union County’s response to the pandemic, including the creation of the COVID-19 drive-through test center at Kean University and free walk-up mobile test sites in local communities, which have tested more than 100,000 residents. Union County distributed more than 2 million meals for families and distributed tens of millions of dollars in Federal CARES funds to the County’s municipalities and to small businesses, schools, libraries, restaurants, nonprofit organizations, and residents in need of child care respite care, child care and rental assistance. In meeting these new challenges, Union County also leveraged years of prudent fiscal management to avoid a tax increase and layoffs. For 2021, Mirabella announced a series of initiatives, entitled “Union County Rising,” which include COVID-19 testing and vaccination announcements, business and economic development programs, parks improvements, and services that reflect the Board of County Commissioners’ values on inclusion and acceptance.

In previous years, Mirabella helped implement the Open Space Trust Fund, sparking significant increases in Union County parkland. He developed the Sensory Friendly Theater program for persons with autism and other sensory sensitivities, assembled the shared services committee, and focused on infrastructure planning, workforce development, and sustainability measures. Mirabella also oversaw the expansion of the Office of Veterans. He organized the annual Columbus Day Italian flag raising event and was honored by the Italian Tribune with the “Christopher Columbus Man of the Year Award.” He was instrumental in creating the Union County Office of LGBTQ Affairs, the first office of its kind in New Jersey. The office organizes outreach and advocacy event, and community outreach, among its functions. An advocate of education, Mirabella has been recognized for his support of Union County College and was instrumental in the creation of the Union County Vocational-Technical High Schools (UCVTS). He was first elected to the Roselle Park Borough Council in 1991 and served until 1996. He graduated from Hobart College in Geneva, N.Y. with a degree in Economics. He and his wife, Phyllis, have a son, Alexander, and a daughter, Micayla.